The Republican Party is supposed to oppose tax increases and burdensome, unnecessary government regulations. But sometimes, they lose their way.

The most recent example is support by some Republicans for the misnamed Marketplace Fairness Act, which should really be called the Internet Tax Mandate. This mandate is nothing more than a huge tax increase on the American people backed by lobbyists and some state governments. I must admit, I am disappointed that some in my party are backing this ill-advised bill.

The Internet Tax Mandate would allow states to force private companies to impose a sales tax on online purchases. Rather than reform and prioritize their state budgets, governors are looking to the federal government to take more money out of the wallets of their states hardworking citizens. Americans are already struggling as a result of higher federal taxes, but some seek to soak the taxpayer at the state level as well.

Even worse, state politicians are already fantasizing about all the new spending programs they can create using these additional taxpayer dollars. The last thing we need is more taxes for the purpose of implementing more government.

State governments should be reining in spending and reducing regulation, not looking to Washington to extract even more money from American taxpayers. This is not the type of leadership we need coming from our state capitals.

I didn't know Rand Paul was a cynical libertarian. I thought he was a ideological libertarian.

If there is a sales tax on purchased goods then it should be applied equally regardless of how the goods were purchased.

If Rand Paul were a true libertarian he would either be asking all states to eliminate their sales taxes or lower all sales taxes so that when internet purchases are added in the taxes are revenue neutral.

Instead he adopts the cynical ploy of opposing all new taxes even though the current situation is a massive violation of basic free market principles. Amazon and other companies are able to sell for less, not necessarily because they are smarter or do things better, but merely because they escape having to pay taxes.

I guess libertarians have a right to be cynical and just oppose every new tax rather than trying to create a system of taxation which is fair across the board. The chances that our country's economic system will ever adopt anything close to what Ayn Rand proposed is vanishingly small.

I still think the day will come when they will tax every email and every on line transaction you do. Even if you go on line to your bank account and move money around, etc., pay bill, etc., they will tax you for using “their” internet to do said transactions.

It’s the logic, wwfb. Because others are being punished, let’s punish these businesses, too. The real answer is to find a way for all to prosper.

The lack of taxation on internet sales has been promoted because the internet is a much more fruitful field for new businesses to start up, because they don’t have the brick/mortar costs of old economy businesses.

The idea is that those which succeed DO end up creating jobs, so this is really no different than Ohio, for example, wooing a large manufacturer with promises of zero taxes for X number of years.

And states do those things.

8
posted on 04/19/2013 1:16:27 PM PDT
by xzins
(Retired Army Chaplain and Proud of It! True supporters of our troops pray for their victory!)

You fail in the logic department. Each state is its own tax department and is in competition with other states. The state with the least taxes will have the most people coming to do business. That is the condition in Florida and Texas right now. It would be unwise to make Texas and Florida pay for the mistakes of the mismanagement of the rest of the country. That is the reason the framers of the constitution placed the prohibition on taxes across state lines in the first place, to promote that competition.

Now the wasters want to make the penny pincher's pay more so that they can continue to waste. I say NO! Leave it alone.

10
posted on 04/19/2013 1:41:21 PM PDT
by JAKraig
(Surely my religion is at least as good as yours)

When sales tax is not charged by the seller on a taxable item or service, the consumer is required by law to report and remit use tax to the Department of Revenue. Purchases made over the Internet, through toll-free numbers, from mail-order catalogs and from out-of-state locations are examples of purchases subject to use tax when sales tax is not paid. The tax rate is the same as the sales tax, 6 percent state, plus 1 percent local tax for items purchased in, delivered to or used in Allegheny County or 2 percent local tax in Philadelphia.

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